Love This! Feather Art

Today's artist, the first featured artist of 2013 (!), creates all of his work out of feathers. Why do I love this, you might ask? Because I think feathers are really beautiful and over the years, I've developed a slight obsession with them. Last year, I got a tattoo of a feather on my foot. Growing up, I had a container of feathers, all found by my dad (who also loves feathers and has a fascination with birds of prey), sitting on my dresser. One of my favorite quotes is about building your own wings (which obviously, requires feathers), and when at home in Atlanta, I often find stray feathers sitting on windowsills, shelves, or counters. So yeah, I'd say I've learned to appreciate a beautiful feather or two. They're pretty amazing though, if you actually think about it, aren't they!?

And that brings us to today's artist, Chris Maynards, a fellow feather connoisseur (who is much more legit than I am!). Here's what you need to know about what he does--every single object in these pieces of art is made out of a feather. In many cases, the birds that are shown in silhouette are the very types of birds that the feathers came from. And do you know how he creates these microscopic works of art? Fine eye surgery tools that he inherited from his father (and magnifying glasses)! 

So lets take a look at some of his work...

Detail shot of the piece above.

Detail shot of the piece above.

Detail shot of the piece above.

You can view more of Maynards' work on his website, where he also says the following about feathers:

Feathers are a pinnacle of achievement of life in their form, function, and beauty.Their complexity as a covering beats any clothing we make. Each individual feather is a small bit of perfection.

I rather think of the shed feathers as gifts from the birds.When birds shed or discard their feathers every year, I recycle them in my art.

Strong, light feathers make flight possible; they are the best insulation; they keep birds bodies dry; their patterns and beauty help them hide or attract mates.

Beautiful, isn't it? 

If there's one thing that I love about artists, it's their [hopefully] healthy obsession with one thing--be it a specific subject, medium, or concept--that creates an entire body of work that shines with it's own uniqueness.

So what do you say? Inspired by these works of art, lets take flight and soar into 2013 with a sense of lightheartedness and adventure...

Namaste!
Mary Catherine